


We are Not Painting it Pink

by FlOrangey



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Deciding a paint job for the car, Friendship, Gen, Humor, Male Friendship, Noctis is stubborn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-11
Updated: 2016-04-11
Packaged: 2018-06-01 15:06:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,672
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6525121
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FlOrangey/pseuds/FlOrangey
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Another car accident leaves the boys waiting for Cindy to finish repairs. In the meantime they try to decide on a paint job.</p>
            </blockquote>





	We are Not Painting it Pink

**Author's Note:**

> This is me taking a break from drama and angst to right something fluffy and funny.

“What the hell did you guys do to the car?”

The question was painful for Ignis. Not just because Cindy’s voice had reverberated so loud it made his ears ring, but also because he felt very nervous trying to answer that question. Prompto, Gladiolus, and Noctis were quiet, the prince’s head hanging extra low like a child who knew he did something bad and was expecting a timeout any second. In front of them was the Regalia, which looked the worst it had been for their entire journey.

“We had a ...small accident.” Ignis said taking a quick glance over at Noctis who was avoiding looking at anything.

“It looks like you drove it into a ravine!” Cindy shouted. Noctis winced. “I swear if it isn’t one thing with you guys it’s another. Who crashed it this time?” She asked. She then glared at Prompto who jumped.

“Whoa hey hey! It wasn’t me!” Prompto said. Cindy continued to glare at him. “It wasn’t! Not this time!” Cindy raised an eyebrow at his words. “Really! I swear I didn’t do it!”

“Oh really? Then who?”

None of the boys answered, casting glances at each other, then one of them sighed. “It was me.”

Noctis had been the one to speak. The rest of the boys looked at him, and Cindy’s eyes widened in shock.

“You?” She asked almost in disbelief. “I thought you couldn’t drive!”

“I can, I just don’t much.” Noctis muttered only looking up for a second. “Look, we were being chased by soldiers and the others were tired so I volunteered to drive for a few hours and...” He stopped face turning red from shame and embarrassment as he said his next words, “...I fell asleep at the wheel.”

The room became silent except for the ambient noise of the lights flickering and the expression on Cindy’s face looked like she had either just seen a ghost or had just seen someone try and do something incredibly stupid. “You fell asleep while driving.” She repeated.

Noctis shrunk back a little and nodded. Cindy let that nod process in her mind for a few seconds before smacking herself in the forehead. Some days when she worked with the boys she wondered if she was working with a group of stooges instead of a prince and his entourage.

Ignis decided to speak up to save Noctis from further embarrassment. “It was a very difficult situation Cindy, I’d be happy to explain it to you if you agree to help us.”

“We’ve got money from a previous job we did, just tell us the cost and we’ll pay it.” Gladiolus said. Cindy looked at them, then sighed and double checked the state of the car. She opened the hood and walked around it, checking the tires, and everything else. Perhaps saying the car looked like it had been over a ravine was polite, it needed a lot of work. More work than she had to admit she was willing to waste time on. But the boys were good people so she would anyway.

Cindy _prayed_ that Noctis would never drive the car again.

“This whole repair is going to cost about ten thousand gil.” Cindy said. The groups faces immediately dropped, Ignis’ turned pale like he had seen a ghost.

“That’s quite a bill.”

“I’m giving you a discount. I’m not even charging for the paint job I’m gonna need to give this thing.” Cindy said pointing over at the car, which had half the paint chipped off. Noctis winced and kept his head down only to look up when Cindy shoved a book of paint options into his hands. “Look them over and decide which one you want me and paw paw to do.” Noctis blinked at the book, then yelped as Cindy turned him around and shoved him to the door. “Now, get out of here and let me work. All of you!”

Prompto did not need to be told twice, he turned and rushed out of the garage. Gladiolus and Ignis were right behind him, Ignis gently pushing Noctis along so he did not incur Cindy’s wrath.

* * *

 Dinner would be ready in five minutes, Ignis was making hamburgers in the caravan they rented out, while Gladiolus went to the nearby gas station to get some chips and drinks. Prompto was looking at the colors in the book, while Noctis sat across from him absentmindedly playing with his phone.

“Dad would kill me if he saw what I did to the car.” He finally said, though it sounded like a moan more than anything else.

“Oh don’t be like that Noct.” Prompto said, “We were in a tight spot, you were the only one that could drive.”

“And I screwed up.” Noctis muttered. Ignis checked to make sure he would not burn anything, and when he was sure, moved away from the stove, removed his glove, and put a hand on Noctis’ shoulder.

“You did fine. Accidents happen. I’m sure his majesty would understand.” Ignis said. It took a few seconds, but Noctis nodded and looked up at dinner. Ignis went back to cooking just as Gladiolus returned with several cases of drinks. Ignis took one look at them and shook his head.

“What?” Gladiolus asked with a shrug.

“I think you forgot this is a temporary stay, we can’t possibly go through all that alcohol.”

“You underestimate me Iggy.” Gladiolus said with a wink. Ignis rolled his eyes. The bodyguard put the cases down and opened one, then handed Noctis a bottle. “Him too, you should see how much he can down before he passes out.”

Ignis sighed; he was aware of how much Noctis could drink, he worried about the prince’s liver every night he and Prompto went out to clubs. Gladiolus pulled a bottle out of one of cases and handed it to the dark haired man, “Here, you look like you could use this.” He said as Prompto grabbed a bottle on his own.

Noctis smiled and reached out to take it, however before he could, Ignis snatched it right out from under him. “Hey!”

“You aren’t drinking on an empty stomach highness.” Ignis said, getting a pout from the young prince as he put the bottle on the counter. “At very least wait until dinner, we do not want you getting sick again.”

Noctis grumbled but deep down knew his advisor had a point. The last time he drank on an empty stomach he was bedridden for days with a sour stomach. He had a feeling his advisor would not be thrilled about trying to clean vomit off the caravan floor. So he let himself be distracted by Prompto and Gladiolus talking as Ignis went back to making dinner.

“You know we really should take advantage of this.” Prompto said turning the pages in the book, “How about it Noct?”

“The Regalia could use a new look.” Gladiolus said pointing one of them out. “That one there; Leviathan Silver. It’d be perfect, don’t you think?”

Noctis looked at the color and the example and made a face, then shook his head. “We’re not changing the paint on dad’s car. It’s staying the same black it always is.”

By that point Ignis had finished putting the burgers together and passed the plates around the table. Gladiolus opened a large bag of chips he had gotten and because they now had food, Ignis conceded and let Noctis have his beer. He did give the prince a stern glare about removing the lettuce from his burger however. He had already decided to not put tomato on it - Noctis _hated_ tomatoes as much as he hated Niflheim - but he was going to make sure Noctis got at least some green in his diet.

Noctis let the lettuce stay, but even as he started eating the burger his face twisted at the crunch.

“Come on Noct, a change of paint never hurt anyone. I mean if you want the car to stay black fine, but there's so many options for black.” Prompto said as he looked at the book. There were a lot of options for black. _‘Plain Black’, ‘Shiny Black’, ‘Darker than Black’_ , but his eyes fell on one that in his opinion looked really nice. “How about this one? _Midnight black._ ”

Noctis glanced up at the picture and shook his head. “It’s not the same black as the Regalia. It looks almost blue.”

“Yeah but it’s really shiny.” Prompto said. It looked like the color of the sky. “And it looks really cool too. I bet with this paint job your car would sparkle in the moonlight.”

“I think his majesty would approve of it.” Ignis said. Noctis frowned then shook his head.

“No, the only color the Regalia is being painted is the color it is now.”

“Hate to say it Noct, but there isn’t much color left on it.” Gladiolus said. Noctis glared at him. Gladiolus knew why he was glaring at him, the car was important to him and he wasn’t ready to make any big changes to it. So the body guard conceded defeat. “What color was the Regalia’s paint job again?”

“Reaper black.” Noctis said before taking another bite out of his burger and cringing at the crunch of the lettuce. Lettuce was one of the worst things he ever tasted. He kept that complaint to himself knowing Ignis would remind him lettuce did not even taste like anything. Prompto took a bit of his and began flipping through the book muttering the color Noctis mentioned and frowned when he finished.

“Sorry Noct, no reaper black in here.” He said. Noctis grabbed the book from him and double checked. His best friend was right, the book was lacking the Regalia’s signature color. He sighed and pushed it back to him. “Look Noct, I know you want to keep the car as close to how it was when your dad gave it to you, but we should spice things up. Give it new life. Make it your own, you know.”

Noctis considered Prompto’s words then said, “It could use a bit more color.”

The statement had the other three grinning. “Okay let’s see what we have. There’s that midnight black, then we got various blues, greens, reds.”

“I still think Leviathan silver would be perfect.” Gladiolus pointed out. Noctis double checked it and frowned. He could not see his father’s car being silver. Red maybe, but not silver.

“I don’t think so.” He said. “The dark red looks nice…”

“I’m more partial to the green.” Ignis said. Noctis shook his head.

“We aren’t painting it green.”

“I see you’re just as picky about your colors as you are your food.” Ignis said noting Noctis had eaten slower than the rest of them because of the evil lettuce in his burger. “Green would help us blend in at the nearest town.”

“Don’t care, not painting it green.” Noctis said taking a passionate bite out of his burger. Ignis smirked finding himself amused by the prince’s refusal.

“Really? Why I think a nice lettuce green would be nice, don’t you think?”

“I think you should stop talking now.”

Noctis annoyed tone brought grins and chuckles to the table as Prompto relooked through the book. “Well there’s always electric blue, also this nice neon orange-” Noctis glared at him, but Prompto did not notice as he turned the page and saw the color that made his jaw drop and decided it was _the_ color they needed to have Cindy paint the Regalia. They had to, it was a requirement.

“This! This is perfect!” He said slamming the book down on the table - bottles jumping, Gladiolus second beer almost spilling over. “Noct, we gotta do this! We have to.”

Noctis took one look at Prompto’s color choice and immediately pulled away in revulsion. What Prompto was suggesting was vile as far as he was concerned. “No!”

“But it’s perfect.”

“We are not painting the Regalia _pink!”_

Noctis’ outburst brought more laughter from Ignis and Gladiolus and a large grin on Prompto’s face. “Why not? Scared what Luna would think of us pulling into Altissia in a pink Regalia?”

“I’m Lucis’ prince Prompto! I have some dignity to maintain.”

“Well technically the media says you're dead, so I don’t think we need to worry about dignity for awhile.” Prompto said, a grin on his face that Noctis rolled his eyes too. “Besides it’d be fun, road trips are ten times more fun if you’re in a crazy looking car.”

“Well that crazy looking car is not gonna be my dad’s car.” Noctis said, “I mean really? Pink? Next thing you know you’ll be asking Cindy to put polka dots on it.”

Gladiolus considered that statement. “Actually that sounds-”

“We are not painting it pink or polka dot.” Noctis cut his bodyguard off before he could even think about finishing that thought. No pink. No polka dots. No weird colors. Prompto pouted and Gladiolus rolled his eyes, but there was a small grin on his face.

"You're no fun." Prompto pointed out and Noctis frowned, offended by Prompto's statement.

"Hey I'm fun. I just don't want my dad's car to be pink. Seriously that's-"

"I seem to recall, highness, one time when you photoshopped the Regalia bright neon pink and declared you wished to ride it through the streets on horseback like a princess."

Noctis froze at Ignis' statement, face turning bright red and losing all ability to form a coherent sentence as his brain tried desperately to figure out when exactly he had said anything like that at any point. "I-I-I never-"

“You did. At that little party Prompto set up for your birthday. Remember?” Ignis asked looking at Gladiolus and giving him a quick wink that made the bodyguard grin and think a little bit.

“Oh yeah. We had a lot of alcohol that night.”

“I-I must have been drunk. If I was drunk it doesn’t count!” Noctis said quickly, but the redness on his face was telling and Prompto used that opportunity to snatch the booklet off the table and jump to his feet.

"I think it's decided. I'm telling Cindy we want the car painted pink.” And once the look of horror crossed Noctis’ face, Prompto turned and ran for the door. In seconds that look of horror changed to fury.

“Hey! Prompto!” Noctis cried out, somehow managing to push himself both over the table and Ignis and chase after his friend. Neither boy bothered to shut the caravan door behind them, so the swearing and comical sound of Prompto tripping over a trashcan and yelps as Noctis wrestled him to ground. The cry that sounded like a mix of pain and laughter sounded like it came from Prompto.

Gladiolus shook his head. “Those two are something.” He said as Ignis nodded in agreement. “You think we should break them up?”

Ignis considered it and shook his head. “Let them have their fun, at least Prompto’s show is getting his highness’ mind off the car accident for a little while.”

“Yeah.” Gladiolus agreed and the two fell silent for a few minutes. When he finished his second beer the bodyguard put it down. “Hey, why’d you lie about Noctis photoshopping the Regalia pink? I mean I know he’s a kinda artsy, but he can’t use photoshop to save his life.”

Ignis paused at Gladiolus question and let a smirk form on his face. “I just want wanted how he’d react.”

That answer was good enough for Gladiolus and he went on to his second burger and third beer as the other two boys fought outside.

* * *

 His head was killing him, but Prompto had gotten a black eye in their squabble, so while Ignis had the two sitting in time out Gladiolus announced he would be telling Cindy what color she and her grandfather were painting the car. Leviathan silver.

Noctis kept his complaints to himself. He did not care for silver but at least it wasn't pink.


End file.
